


Heart's Power, Red Magic

by bluemoonwings



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/F, Magic, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 14:40:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5052562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoonwings/pseuds/bluemoonwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set around season 2, and all AU from there. Regina realizes her power works best when she's in contact with Emma. In exchange for helping her use her own powers, she in turn unlocks a bit of Emma's latent magic and more.</p><p>By the way guys, I haven't made it through Season 3 yet because the writing quickly began to piss me off, but I know it involves something about a pirate ship and Regina and Emma "making magic together" in a non-euphemistic sort of way, so I'm going to gloss over all of that with my own AU. Everyone is in Storybrooke. There's no Captain/Swan at all. Everyone is generally happy and none of this weird writing that's been going on in the canon has happened.</p><p>Slow burn, guys. I want this to play out like it might in the show... over a whole season perhaps. I love hot smut and there will definitely be some later, but this time, I want it to be as real as can be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Scarlet Glow, Like Apples

Emma blinked once, then twice, and swung her legs from where they rested on her desk at the Sheriff's office so that her chair could swivel her back to a vertical position. She looked up at her visitor with an expression of confusion.

 

Regina stared at her expectantly, and impatiently, planting her hands on her hips, fingers drumming against the expensive linen of the red-trimmed black suit that sheathed her this morning. Frowning, she tossed her head lightly to move some bangs from sliding against the side of her eyes, and sighed hard. "Sheriff Swan, are you even home in there?" Her red-lacquered lips pressed together as she stopped herself from a more biting followup remark about wasting her payroll.

 

Clearing her throat, Emma nodded twice, then three times and tried to look alert. "Yes Madam Mayor. What can I do for you?" 

 

Even Regina couldn't continue like this. She cataloged the dark circles around the blonde woman's azure eyes, the pale, sallow skin, even masked by her ever-present red leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots. "Miss Swan, are you all right? You seem more spaced out and disinclined to do your job than ever before, and since I've been deposed as Mayor, 'Your Majesty' might be an acceptable replacement." There was just a hint of smile there on that scarlet mouth. 

 

Emma shook her head. Once only. "Sorry Regina... I'm not sleeping well with this whole... situation. Things have been worse than ever, actually. Really crazy bad dreams..." She was rambling, so she looked up and Regina was still looking at her and not in her customary bored, condescending way, either. Well not entirely. "Ahem, so what did you need that you actually came down here?"  _And risked getting your head mounted above Town Hall_ , she didn't add.

 

Regina rolled her eyes now, but she was uneasy. "As I said once before, I need your help. The backlash has been...resounding, but  _Queen_  Snow White has made it clear to me that there might be a chance for peace if I can somehow reverse this curse or at least make it possible to travel between worlds again." She spat Emma's mother's title like a dirty word.

 

"Is that even possible at this point?" Emma wondered aloud. "Shouldn't we be talking to Mr. Gold?"

 

"Our resident imp is even less likely to help me now that I'm even bothering to talk to the people's 'rightful' monarch. He plays his own game, as you might imagine, and I seem to be shit out of luck at this exact moment, but that's not what I need. I need magic." Emma blinked again, stupidly, and made Regina want to scream at having to spell it out. She leaned down on the desk, invading the Sheriff's personal space. "I need my magic, Miss Swan. Not my mother's. Not his. Mine, that was born inside me, that is only mine. That is something that no one, not even the Dark One himself, can restore. Even if he could, it would cost me more than even I have right now."

 

Emma nodded. "Okay I follow so far, but again, why me? Why not talk to Mary Margaret? Or Mother Superior? Blue, I mean. They probably know a lot more about magic and curse-breaking than I do." She ran a hand through her flaxen hair, which caught the light and made it glint with highlights of spun gold. Regina flinched inside at the sight but otherwise showed not reaction.

 

"It seems that right now, I cannot use that magic without your presence. Your help actually." She floundered and held out empty hands for a moment while she returned to herself. "You. Conscious. Physically contacting me. Understand?"

 

Emma did understand. "Why would I help you though, Regina? Henry asked you to give up magic. Isn't this kind of going against your whole angle?"

 

"No," Regina explained, "I'm doing this for Henry. Much as it pains me, I am losing right now, but I am-- was-- a good ruler. I am more qualified than your parents, certainly. The idea of splitting the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke with your mother and I both ruling in our turn with peace...it really makes me sick to be honest, but I can see myself moving past that. What I need now is to be able to open a portal and help restore our land. No one else can do it, because I cast the curse with the blood of my love." Her voice was bitter, and Emma searched for a lie and found none, which made her even more suspicious.

 

"And your intention is...not to return to their world? To stay here?" 

 

"Yes, this world is fairest of them all, as I have said. It is far simpler and more pleasing to me. I really always meant to leave that land forever. I don't have any need to return, and if my former step-daughter takes her simpering band of dwarves and fairies with her then all the better." Regina shrugged as if she didn't care, and Emma sensed the faint deception there. "So will you help me? I need to channel enough magic to create a talisman that can be used to open a door."

 

There was a nagging feeling in Emma's stomach, but she could only ask, "How much are we talking here?"

 

Regina paused to consider, though surely she already had the answer. "If I can use my powers for five minutes after touching you for an instant, then we could do it every other day for five to ten minutes, for three months or so, until the next blue moon. At that point, I would cast the spell."

 

"Not that I'm complaining, but why so little? Why not hold my hand now until tomorrow morning and go from there?" Regina was staring at her like she had just proposed something ridiculous, and Emma felt stupid. "I'm super new to this, remember?"

 

"Well, if I were to siphon your energy into myself at that rate, due to your...inexperience... I would risk killing you, burning out whatever magic you have inside you, or turning you into something certainly unpleasant." Regina shrugged. "Not that those things bother me particularly," there was a slight untruth, "but I figured you might be adverse."

 

"Definitely adverse." The sheriff planted her elbows on the arms of her chairs and leaned back, steepling her fingers together. "How do I know you're not just going to take all of this stored magic and use it to recast the original curse, this time with all of us completely unaware?"

 

Again, she seemed to consider this, but it was for show. "If you knew the cost of the curse you wouldn't need to ask, I would hope."

 

An eyebrow raised. Emma shrugged. "Enlighten me."

 

Regina didn't budge from where she crouched over her, but her eyes darkened and hardened, not with anger, but with a great deal of pain. "You have the power to discern truth from lies?"

 

Emma nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

 

"Fine. You have my word that I will use it for only what I have disclosed to you and for no other purpose." Regina replied slowly, enunciating every word, and meeting Emma's eyes, inviting her to challenge her. The sheriff did search, her blue eyes memorizing every shadow and play of light, and every fiber of color in the fallen monarch's dark gaze. She sensed there was more than what was being said, but for all intents, Regina was being honest.

 

"Mary Margaret won't approve," Emma warned her.

 

Regina straightened now with a grimace of disdain. "Yes, because what your mother wants has always been my wish in life-- or yours for that matter," she hissed with sarcasm.

 

Emma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, squinting her eyes against the invading headache. Regina cocked her head and spoke again. "I can help you with that, you know. With my powers."

 

"Fix my headache? Opium would be less dangerous, don't you think?"

 

"Still joking, I see. Look at it this way. Magic has a price doesn't it? It changes us, and it makes us always pay for it. I'll pay for yours right now. I'll help you sleep better. No catch. A thank you for your assistance. And a promise that I will give you whatever I can to help you wherever it does not interfere with my wishes, less than or equal to the amount of help you give to me." Regina paced once then twice in front of the desk. "Well?" 

 

"You're not using one of your apples are you?"

 

"Hold out your hand and I will demonstrate now."

 

Emma complied, extending her arm as if to shake Regina's hand. The dark woman practically lunged forward  with a look of predatory victory in her eyes, taking two steps back into her personal space, but instead of grasping her hand, she suddenly seemed to grow shy and instead placed a mere two fingers into Emma's palm.

 

There was a shock like touching a live wire, and Emma felt her hand almost go numb from the contact. She gritted her teeth and looked to Regina for guidance, or to fight if the sorceress had double crossed her. What she saw amazed her.

 

Regina's eyes slammed shut as the familiar sensation rushed  through her, not just from the warm flame that was her hand in Emma's, but from her heart, in rolling waves through her whole body. It was not even a hundredth of what she had once had, and it was only for a few seconds, but it was enough. It felt so good, as if she had regained a sense she had been forced to be without. There was a firing of all the nerves in her body and she came alive. Not just Regina Mills the former mayor, but the inklings of the Queen. She opened her eyes as she withdrew her hand and fixed her focus on Emma through a brief reddish haze. The sheriff looked nervous.

 

In reality, the sheriff was frightened. Regina's eyes slid open and there was a weird little piece of her that looked hard for the familiar shadowed chestnut color, flecked with subtle golds and greens. What she got were Regina's eyes wreathed in red like her poison apples. The glow vanished quickly, but it was enough to remind Emma who this was before her. Her free hand twitched, ready to grab her service revolver.

 

"If I intended to betray you, you would be charcoal right now," snarled Regina seeing Emma's uncertainty. This did nothing to help the situation, as there was a burning undertone to her voice that was foreign. It was the voice of a very powerful ruler, full of command and compulsion. It was a voice that stole the will and buckled the knees. Emma jumped out of her chair as Regina sent the desk flying across the room. She took a step forward to subdue the queen, but it was no good. Her body was bound up by an invisible force and she was pushed back and lifted into the air so fast her stomach turned and her heart felt like it would fall out of her feet. However, no harm came to her and she stopped struggling as Regina approached her and lowered her a bit.

 

"I owe this to you. My word is better than you think." Regina whispered, worried now at the feeling of hurt that she felt in her chest. Why should she care what this little non-princess thought of her? This was all just a means to an end, after all. Yet, here it was. She pushed away her emotion and touched Emma's temples with two fingers of each hand, just gently and gingerly as she had earlier, with no more pressure than a baby bird's wings. She felt the power flow out of her and into Emma as it was meant to. 

 

The connection was made anew, but this time on Regina's terms entirely, with nothing coming out of the blonde. She could sense things about Emma now. It wasn't mind reading, but there were definitely whispers now, playing upon Regina's mind like shadow puppets on a screen, accompanied by a staccato beat. "Your heart is racing," she whispered, mostly to herself, but just barely loud enough for Emma to hear. She turned her ear slightly now and felt Emma's frightened eyes on her as she listened. She couldn't make out anything specific. She looked up into her eyes.

 

Emma was staring down at her with fear but also conviction. Regina had always admired this. It was a trait they shared, and a trait that Henry had also been given. Killing her now would be unpleasant in any circumstance. That strength in the face of danger was something that Regina had always been attracted to. She smiled in spite of herself, and stopped playing with Emma. Letting her down gently, she felt herself grow almost powerless again. 

 

"Run out of batteries, Regina?" Emma muttered, backing away.

 

"Headache gone, Miss Swan?" Regina gave a haughty toss of her head. "I've given you a little bit of an advance on our deal. Whatever you're dreaming about that is giving you so much stress will work itself out much better now, I think." She turned to leave.

 

"Wait...what is it that's bothering me?" Emma asked, trying to straighten her desk.

 

"I'm not a doctor, Miss Swan. All I'm saying is that I've pushed in a little something to help with your bad dreams. Same time tomorrow then?" With that, and a wiseass little smirk, she was gone and Emma was left with a warzone instead of an office, but oddly, her headache did seem to be gone.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I began working on this fic awhile ago and it is still unfinished but I do have several chapters including sexytime. I just lost my mojo when the show took some weird turns. I'll add as much to it as possible now, however, taking the characters wherever I like. I am happy for all feedback. Please let me know what you would like to see more of.


	2. The Fairest of the Foulest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets someone she never expected

It was a familiar nightmare. A dark castle made of angles, like shards of glass from a giant mirror stabbing the blistered earth, ringed with a mist-covered forest. The floors, the walls, and ceilings were all slick as wet glass and veined like granite. Emma had run endlessly through these halls every night for a few weeks now. She knew the drill. Try to stop and rest, and the cold would seep up through the unyielding surfaces and hurt so much her bones and joints would ache. The corridors were endless and no matter how she traversed them, or no matter how high she climbed to the windows, there was no escape. 

When she opened her eyes here tonight, Emma immediately thought of Regina. Lying bitch, she thought with great venom, but then resigned herself.

Her lips were already chapped and bleeding as if she had been lying on the floor a long time. She stood up, brushed nonexistent dust from her pants, and began moving. It was night, as always, and very cold. She wouldn't fit through any of the windows nearest her, so she took a left at the next corridor, and then ran straight down a hallway that curved and then opened unexpectedly into a balcony. 

Clutching her leather jacket around her thin white ribbed tank, she looked over the edge. It was a sheer drop all the way down and the wind whipped past her ears, pulling her hair and stinging her skin. She rubbed her palms against her blue denim jeans, trying to warm them, and wiggled her toes in her boots. She moved away from the edge and kept moving down the balcony that seemed to run the outer layer of the castle.

Presently, there was some sculpting of the granite into columns and ivy filigree. This continued on for some time, and then she saw a room with the telltale glow of a fire within. The room was recessed in the granite, shaded by a deep overhang, and otherwise an "open air" set up. It was very strange, but Emma wasn't going to be picky. She sprinted for it.

The room had a door on the far end, adjacent to a roaring, ornately sculpted, fireplace. There were lavish, thick, embroidered rugs laid diagonally across the cold floor, a smooth overstuffed loveseat against one side with red and black appliqued designs, and a low table, upon which rested a decanter of what might have been brandy, and a glass, as well as a small tray of brilliant apples that glowed as red as rubies in the fire's light. There were two other chairs to match the love seat, with carved wooden arm rests and backs, but the same texture and patterns. There was also what appeared to be a very real and very lush, soft, bearskin on the floor directly in front of the fireplace.

Emma took less than a second to take in the scene, and raced in at top speed, intending to grab an apple and make for the door in one swoop. The irony wasn't lost on her as her fingers clutched her first source of nourishment in all the nights she had been here. She was reaching for the heavy door, hoping it wasn't bolted from the outside, when a voice stopped her.

"What have we here?" 

Emma skidded to a stop indelicately and almost caught the floor with her face. She looked up and behind her. She hadn't noticed anyone sitting in the chair on the left, but now she wasn't alone. A woman had risen from where she had sat, and was silhouetted against the flames. Emma couldn't see her face, but she knew the voice instinctively.

"Regina?" She whispered breathlessly, sidestepping to put the decanter of liquid within one stride. Hopefully she would have a weapon if anything unpleasant entered through the door, or if Regina was feeling a little wicked.

The oppressive aura that lashed out in a shockwave took Emma off her feet and threw her down hard. Six hard-heeled strides brought the shadowed woman to her side, whereupon she was lifted by a somewhat familiar invisible force and swung around hard so that her back was to the fire, and the woman was now visible. "That would be 'Your Grace' to a guttersnipe like you!" shrieked her attacker with an electric undercurrent that actually shocked Emma and made her muscles spasm and go limp. Indeed, it was Regina. She was different though.

She was taller, possibly due to her six inch stiletto boots, Emma reasoned, and her flowing black and silver-trimmed gown, fine mink gloves, jewel-studded shawl draped around one shoulder were also new. The scarlet-painted lips were familiar, as was the delicate dipping slice of a healed scar over the left side of her upper mouth. The sharp, white, teeth-filled snarl was also familiar which Emma found ironically comforting. She perused the rest of the face in the space of an instant. The eyes were too familiar for comfort. They were also much angrier and much more blood-thirsty. The face was just a bit younger. 

"Regina, it's me," she coughed pathetically.

"Need another lesson, do we? Are you deaf, little wretch?" Evil Regina screamed again, pushing Emma intangibly closer to the fire. Confused and without any options, Emma gripped, with shaking fingers, the soft velvetine sleeve of Regina's gown and pushed it back from the glove to expose her skin, which was much paler than the smooth, light olive that she was accustomed to back in Storybrooke.

Both of her hands clamped down around her forearm and with all of her strength, Emma tried to recall the feeling of shocking that she had experienced just that afternoon with her Regina. It rattled her teeth and bordered on painful, but the energy ripped out of her and flew into Regina, who, startled, broke off her spell and dropped Emma before collapsing momentarily to the floor. 

Emma rose to her feet on adrenaline alone, and willed herself to jump forward to pin Regina to the ground. Dark eyes widened in shock as an arm laid hard across her throat, but even Emma could tell that her powers had been temporarily shut off. This dark queen was powerless. Now was her chance to act, to explain, and hopefully escape. Her mouth opened and she took in the sight, ready to catch the slightest hint that Regina was about to zap her again. Yet, when she spoke, she was so exhausted and captivated that all she could manage was, "Your hair is so long here."

The bite of Regina's fingers in the left side of her chest was hot, bright, and red.

**

Emma woke up again on the floor of the nightmare, but something was different. It was as if the world was very slightly out of tune and focus. Her body felt strangely nerveless. She looked around, shaking her head, trying to clear it, when out of her periphery, came a shadow like a raven.

Regina the Queen knelt beside her with a familiar malicious expression. In her bare hands, she held something bright and glowing like an ember. Emma realized then what it was. "Shit," she coughed. "You didn't..."

Almost gently, the Queen pushed on her chest and Emma knew that there was no heartbeat there. "I did," came the response, but it sounded much like the Regina she knew back home. There was no threat, no anger, no fear-inducing, force behind it. "The problem that I now have is what to do with it." 

Emma shrugged. "Crush it? Put it in your vault? Yeah I know all about it. Who cares, Regina." A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, betraying her desperate and dire sadness. "You win. Take care of our son."

Regina frowned at this, the evil grimace replaced by one that looked like worry, which was not what Emma had anticipated. Instead, she looked at the heart. "I don't know who you are, but I feel like I know you. Your heart is so strong. I've never seen such a strong heart... and touched deeply by true love, at that. Why do I know you? And what do you mean? I have no son."

There was a wistful look in her eyes as she gazed down at Emma's heart, beating like a living flame in her palm. "I know you...in another world," Emma coughed, an inexplicable coldness creeping up her feet and fingers now.

Her eyes shifted over to Emma sharply. "And...I have a son?"

"Yes, we do," Emma responded softly, almost painfully. "His name is Henry."

"Henry," Regina whispered to herself, several times, as if tasting the word. She looked at Emma again. "You and I? We have a child?" She hesitated and her eyes fluttered back and forth between the heart and her prisoner. "Together?"

Emma would have clarified, but a current ran through her then. It wasn't shocking or traumatizing. Rather, it was soft and warm and subtle. Regina was regarding her with a tenderness that she had never seen before. The heart didn't lie and even she knew that. Holding it in her hands, she knew something. Emma could feel it, but couldn't put her finger on it. She still might have clarified, but then she turned slightly and coughed a large mouthful of blood onto the floor. 

Regina acted very quickly then, and pressed the warm, glowing, beating heart back to Emma's chest where it belonged. "We will talk again," she decided aloud. It was not a request. Emma's heart began to beat in her chest again, and the cold began to dissipate instantly. Regina's cool, bare hand touched hers, and the world spun before oblivion rose and swallowed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason Regina could grab Emma's heart. Just saying ;-)


	3. What Using Magic Feels Like

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What does it feel like...when you use it?"
> 
> Regina reveals a little bit of herself.

Emma felt amazing today. Regina could sense her vitality through their linked hands. The power jumped through their bond into her with such a feeling of joy and excitement that she had a hard time containing it. It seeped down into deep crevasses in her bones and muscles, lighting her up along the way and flooding her with echoes of ecstasy wherever it touched.

 

Today was the third time Regina had come for a transfusion, as Emma had begun to call it. They were seated again in the Sheriff's station on Emma's lunch break, facing each other, holding hands, as a bright, healthy red glow surrounded Regina and tinted everything from her eyes to the tips of her hair. The second time had been better than the first. Emma had offered her a place to sit, and had grasped her hands without prompting. The results led Regina to decide that perhaps it was better to have more skin surface contact if possible. They had learned that the bond was possible through clothes, but muffled and harder to do. It was impossible without Emma's consent, and also impossible through things like hair or simply by holding a possession of hers. Emma joked that it was good insurance to know that Regina couldn't simply kill her to get what she wanted.

 

The suggestion had actually hurt the former Mayor more than she had let on, but the session had gone so well that she had long since let it go. Emma had been much more alert and stronger, which probably meant that whatever was going on in her head at night had finally calmed down. Doubtless, she was fixated on Henry-- one thing that Regina could definitely relate to-- but also all the silly little doubts and fears and shock of finding out her fairytale heritage. All the vapid little pockets of drama that commoners experienced were a distant memory for Regina, and she dismissed it all. If Emma felt better, great, but it was none of her business.

 

Distracted by these thoughts, Regina wasn't prepared for a flash of unadulterated pleasure that arced through her then, like a lightning bolt of emotion and something else she couldn't place. She sighed happily, and then looked over at Emma, who had her eyes closed like one in deep meditation, but now showing signs of strain. She mentally slowed and then broke off her connection and released Emma's hands. "That's enough for today," she whispered, shaky from her feelings. "You look tired."

 

Emma opened her eyes and smiled a little. "I'm happy to help. How is the...err...thing going?"

 

Regina shrugged. "All right, I suppose. I've been filling an object with as much power as I can. Writing a spell to make it work is much harder, but I feel it. I can do it. What's wrong?" Emma was looking at her questioningly.

 

"So magic is something you can just do? You feel it and you do it? Not a lot of wands or words or... fairy dust?"

 

Regina was not in the mood for Magic 101, but she was in such a great place emotionally that she shrugged and explained as best she could. "Magic exists in many forms. It depends on what your individual talents are, and what you're trying to do. For me, it has always existed in me. I just needed it to be...unlocked, I suppose. In...in my world, I don't need anything to do something normal like...growing the apple tree, producing food, levitating objects. I need very little to do things like normal curses or shape shifting."

 

"Heh, producing food. You mean like your lasagna?" Emma chuckled absently, but Regina was taken aback.

 

"What?"

 

"You're a good cook. Everyone knows that. I mean...like awesome. I always assumed it was because you were a 'double double toil and trouble' kind of person." Emma made a stirring motion in the air, rolled her eyes, and gave another little laugh that suddenly pulled at a cord inside of Regina.

 

She gave no sign of this though and decided to answer straightforwardly. "I wasn't always royal. I... I really meant to be a wife. Just a regular house wife, for the most part. I enjoy cooking."

 

Emma looked at the faraway look in Regina's eyes just then and was reminded of her counterpart in the dream world. Her heart beat faster and she was glad they weren't holding hands anymore. "What does it feel like?" she suddenly blurted, surprising Regina out of her private moment. The deer-in-the-headlights look told her to slow down and articulate her question. "Magic, I mean," she clarified, "What does it feel like when you use it?"

 

"Don't you know? You've been using it for a few days now." Regina's eyes were suddenly evasive.

 

"It's kind of..."Emma searched for the right words. "It's kind of painful. It's like licking a battery sometimes, or sometimes it's like getting shocked. It's always a little draining. Is that how it is for every one?" She watched Regina consider lying before deciding on the truth.

 

"No," Regina replied thoughtfully, "it must be different for different people."

 

"And for you? How is it?"

 

She hesitated. "It feels good," she responded, more softly than she had meant to.

 

This wasn't quite enough for Emma. "Good in what way? Like great coffee good? Like a vacation? Or like drugs good? Or like sex good?"

 

Regina fixed her quickly with a withering look. "I haven't had all of those things, Miss Swan. No doubt you would be a better source of information. However...if I had to choose, I might say...the latter." She was mortified and couldn't keep from blushing deep crimson.

 

Emma let Regina's face pass without comment, though she couldn't help but like the way she did it. Those blushing cheeks and averted eyes, or the way she drew her lip between her teeth for a second. Her gaze brushed over Regina's lip scar and wondered why, with all the healing magic in the world, that blemish had always remained. Yet, she couldn't say that it would have improved her face. It was sexy, and clearly others had thought so too. She dwelled on it an instant too long, however, because suddenly, Regina was on her feet and turning to go. Emma mentally prepared herself to "casually observe" her well-toned calf muscles over her silver-buckled Jimmy Choos when Regina turned around again.

 

Had Emma been  _looking_  at her? Regina shook of the notion almost as soon as it had risen in her mind. "Miss Swan, would you be opposed to meeting again tomorrow?" Emma looked taken aback, as she expected. "If you're feeling up to it, I would like to step up my...transfusions, in a more private setting. After your shift perhaps."

 

"Are you going to cook for me?" Emma fired back, recovering nicely from the surprise.

 

"Hmm. No," Regina decided, "but I will be cooking for Henry so if you pick him up after school, perhaps he will share." She gave a snippy little smile and with that she left, letting Emma take a look at her retreating heels.

 


	4. The Heart Doesn't Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sweet dreams, Princess."
> 
> Emma receives secondary education in magical ways.  
> *

"You're right on time."  
  
Emma opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the long furry fibers of what looked like a bearskin rug. Then she looked to her left, which, because she was lying down, was up. Regina was sitting there. Regina the Queen, that is. "I guess I must have dozed off. I was at work still," Emma muttered.  
  
"Well you're still on time." It was still strange to see Regina with long hair, especially styled very flamboyantly. Tonight, however, it was simply flowing down her back in raven waves, held back by a simple red velvet ribbon. She had on a high-collared scarlet riding jacket with embroidered black trim, and a lacy blouse as white as snow. Her gloves were soft kidskin and matched the buff riding leggings that showed off her every curve and were tucked into high leather boots with silver fixtures. She extended a hand to Emma to help her off the floor. "I always look away just for a second and then there you are." There was a smile now, that Emma had always been wary of, but couldn't help but enjoy. It was like a scarlet viper and Emma knew that this spell was always looking for an opening in her defenses.  
  
She took Regina's hand and sat up, but remained on the soft rug at Regina's feet. "I love this rug. It's so soft. What is it again? I wish I could just stay sleeping here after every day."  
  
"It's genuine warg skin. My huntsman is a very accomplished in that area. Actually in most areas." She gave a secret little smile that made Emma's stomach turn just a little.  
  
"Ookay. Well I, uh, really enjoy it."  
  
Regina nodded slowly. "I enjoy you on it. You're like a little pet, but better. You're only here when I want you and all I need to do is feed you and give you attention." She gestured over at the little table nearby. "I had the liberty of having dinner made. Would you like to dine with me?"  
  
"You didn't cook? Ah, er, conjure?" Emma babbled out, shrugging out of her leather jacket, as she was so close to the fire.  
  
The Queen looked at her only for a moment. "Oh how did you know that I cook? I don't do it anymore of course. That's work for a peasant housewife."  
  
"In my world you do."  
  
There was a pause in opening the silver covers from the plates. "For our son."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Regina picked up the two plates of food, one with some sort of fruit confection, and the other with a complicated but delicious-smelling arrangement of meat and other materials Emma couldn't identify. She laid them on the rug between them and reclined beside Emma. An almost imperceptible snap of her fingers brought firm, luxuriant pillows to support them.  
  
As Emma settled in, Regina poured her a glass of apple cider from the decanter and then one for herself. Finally, she laid into the pillows and looked up at Emma in a very intimate way, without her normal regal bearing or the customary guarded looks. "You haven't told me anything about our son since the first time," she murmured, "is he well?"  
  
"Yes, he is. He is staying with me for the most part, but he's been with you a lot lately too." Emma responded without hesitation.  
  
"With you? I don't understand. We aren't... together?"  
  
Emma's eyes widened. "Oh! No no no! I meant to tell you then. We... No. It's complicated." She was so embarrassed she looked down quickly but Regina's disappointed face quickly snapped her back. "Why do you look sad about that?"  
  
"Because... Well, why not? Why can't we be together in your world? Aren't we, well, lovers?" It was uncharacteristic but charming to see her flounder.  
  
Emma shrugged. "Nope. Not like that. I'm Henry's birth mother, you see. You adopted him. Raised him. You kind of hate me in my world."  
  
The dark ruler looked very bothered now, and fiddled with the stem of her glass, watching the way the liquid within moved as she did. "I don't believe you." It was surly. Not quite angry, but almost pouty.  
  
"You punched me in the face not long ago. I'm pretty sure you hate me," Emma picked at the pastry dish. Hmm. Apples. How shocking.  
  
Regina looked up and there was just a flash of red there. "The heart doesn't lie, you foolish girl." When Emma looked confused, she sat up more and faced her squarely. "You must be truly stupid not to see what is plainly there."  
  
Emma grimaced and shrugged. "You're always telling me that, so I guess so."  
  
Regina shook her head violently. "No! Oh you stupid thing! The heart doesn't lie and I have seen your heart. It was touched by true love. That can't be faked. Explain yourself at once."  
  
"Like I told you... Snow White...Prince Charming? They're my--"  
  
"I don't care about her, or her insipid little prince," Regina spat with fury, "That was plain as soon as you told me last time. It explains your power and your annoyingly late uptake, but little else. I am neither deaf nor daft and so I ask you again. You are touched by true love-- and the fingerprint on your heart? It is mine!"  
  
_Well maybe you shouldn't have squeezed so hard while tearing it from my chest_ , Emma thought, but kept that to herself. "Henry?"  
  
The fury abated somewhat as the Queen softened. "Yes, our son, he is there in your heart... but so am I. That kind of love. A particular kind of love."  
  
Emma was totally confused now. "I swear to you...there is nothing between us like that in my world."  
  
Regina still looked bothered. "Then it's because you are too stupid."  
  
Now offended, Emma rose to take the bait. "Or because you're too busy being a bitch to even look at me! Tell me...without having ripped my heart out in such a literal-- and by the way, extremely unnecessary-- fashion, what do you feel for me? Huh? Nothing I bet. You're mistaken, Your Majesty." she punctuated by taking a big bite of her pastry followed by a hearty swig of cider.  
  
The Queen did seem to settle, but then she fired back, "It isn't me you need to deal with-- it's the one in your world. These transfusions you do for me. You don't kiss me to do it?"  
  
"Um. Whoa. As if this conversation couldn't get more awkward. No! We sort of hold hands. The first time you did this." Emma held out her two middle fingers and pantomimed their original encounter. She was startled when the queen closed her hand around hers and pulled her very close.  
  
"Let me let you in on a little secret," she murmured in a husky, seductive voice, lips almost touching Emma's ear, "It works best with as much skin contact as possible. In fact, if you can convince the other me to take off an article of clothing for you, I'll teach you a better way to do it. How does that sound, my young swan?"  
  
Emma shivered and pulled away to stare at her with equal measures of intrigue and horror. "Fine, but tell me something."  
  
Her hungry gaze never wavered. "What would you like to know?"  
  
"What does it feel like to use magic? Really. Tell me."  
  
"What does it feel like to use your arms or to speak? They are a part of you and magic is a part of me. When I finally learned to control it, it was just as running or sleeping might be." There was an evil little catlike grin. Emma didn't blink. Her frown deepened. Regina continued. "I  _love_  magic," she growled, "I can never truly be away from it. It is who I am now."  
  
"But not always?"  
  
The queen wagged her finger as if to scold her. "That is something to get out of your world. But to fully strip me of my powers? I would rather die."  
  
"Henry has you on a magic diet." Emma challenged.  
  
"If I am doing it for my son, then surely it is because I love him more than I love my own life-- but without it, I will surely go mad. Tell me, am I every very far away from an apple tree?" Regina snarled fiercely.  
  
"No. You have the sleep-forever variety in your yard right now."  
  
"Of course. Because I cannot be too far away from magic. These apples are just one of the little things I have devoted a portion of my soul to. To be away from every piece of these magic-infused things would be effectively excising a portion of my  _self_." Regina still hadn't let go of her hand. "Offer the other me a deal. Tell her you'll restore her powers faster... tell her a price, and make it as high as you like. She will not refuse you."  
  
Emma watched with more curiosity than necessary as Regina pulled off her gloves, one and then the other, and picked up one of the shish kebab things. Slowly, she offered it to Emma, laying it almost against her lips. Almost in a trance, Emma opened her mouth and took a bite. "What is this?" The flavor exploded in her mouth. It was tender and so juicy, but with taste elements one might find in beef, lamb, or even pork, all rolled into one. There was an earthiness and a tang of salty- sweetness. It was delicious.  
  
Regina smiled. "It is warg meat...since you were so interested in our rug. Oh, and these are vegetables from the elves at the outskirts of the White kingdom. They're for energy. I do hope you'll enjoy. Perhaps they'll help you in your...pursuits. Ask the other me about wargs. It is one of my favorites." She now angled the skewer at her own mouth and pulled off a delicately roasted chunk with her sharp, white teeth. Emma watched just the barest indication of blood flow before it disappeared.  
  
Dinner passed in a more casual way after that, with the two of them conversing about men or jewelry, or whatever. Emma avoided her eyes whenever possible, but couldn't help watching Regina's hands, or the small, simple emerald ring she wore on her right hand. When finally the meal was through, the hand which bore the ring caught Emma gently beneath the chin and brought their eyes level with one another's again. She shivered involuntarily as a thrill shocked through her. Regina pushed her down on her back very gently without any words. Then, bent her head so that their lips were the barest breadth apart, and whispered.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Princess."


	5. The Sigil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma ups the ante in a way that alarms Regina.

  
It was actually Henry who brought it up at dinner. "Mom,  what do you dream about?" Emma,who still wasn't accustomed to being called that, didn't even bother to look up. It was a good thing, because the question was actually directed at Regina.  
  
They were all assembled at the dinner table, Regina at the head, naturally, with Henry to her right, and Emma to her left, facing Henry. She was so genteel and poised, never a strand of hair out of place, never a moment of indelicacy or sloppiness. Emma, having seen her in another world, couldn't help but notice.  
  
"Actually, Henry, I don't dream," Regina replied between bites of handmade spinach ravioli. "It's one of the side effects of the curse. I used to have terrible nightmares on the other side, so I wished them away and poof, it got rid of my dreams."  
  
" _All_  of them?" Henry was incredulous. "Forever and ever?"  
  
Regina nodded gravely. "Not all of them. I have one or two once in a great while, but for the most part, yes. No dreams. And I never remember the ones I do have. So even if you have bad dreams, you can tell me. when there is magic around, you always need to be careful-- so never wish them away."  
  
Emma nodded in agreement. Henry read her mind again and followed up. "Mom, I'm really glad we can talk like this now. You're so...different."  
  
Regina leaned in with a conspiratorial grin. "Not so evil anymore?" She winked at him.  
  
Henry laughed, actually laughed. "No...you're... like my mom again."  
  
Regina let out an uninhibited whoop of joy with a completely unguarded, naked grin from ear to ear. "I'm proud to be." Then she glanced over at Emma and the face faltered just for a second until she realized that Henry's other mom was also grinning.  
  
Later, when Henry had gone up to get ready for bed, and Emma found herself drying the dishes with Regina, the brunette turned to her and fixed her with a serious face. "Miss Swan," she began, but Emma cut her off, laying a hand against her arm.  
  
"Emma," she corrected with a gentle smile.  
  
"Ah. Emma," Regina began again, "thank you for all that you've done for m-- our son."  
  
A shrug was her only response, but Regina felt the need to push just a little. "Really, Emma. I love him with all my heart. He means more to me than my own life."  
  
Emma gave a quarter turn toward Regina and leaned her elbow against the counter. "Recently, I have definitely come to see that. I don't think I'm ready to go spread the news to Mary Margaret, but you're a different person than when we first met."  
  
Regina nodded. "I am trying. And Emma, I don't want you to feel that I am only using you. Is there anything I can do for you right now? I have the power so I might as well make use of it." Her voice was so sincere, but her eyes were more than that. They were sad and even as her gazed pierced her and left her feeling naked, they were haunted.  
  
Emma laid her hand again on Regina's arm. "Tell me that one day you'll teach me to cook warg. Whatever that is."  
  
"What?" Her eyes went wide and she stepped back sharply. "Oh... you've been listening to stories from the townsfolk, haven't you?" She recovered herself and calmed down. "That was once one of my favorite meats but wargs are very rare and dangerous. I would certainly have to have a large and prosperous kingdom in order to command that sort of fare. Your mother might one day provide you with the opportunity to taste it."  
  
"When the portal is made, take me hunting then," Emma countered, not quite ready to let this one go, "and I will come to you twice as often for a transfusion. How does that sound?"  
  
There was a look of lust for her old trappings in Regina's eyes. "Even that isn’t a balanced trade on your end, Emma. I won’t lie to you. Coming to me twice as often will kill you. So I will promise to try to accommodate you, but unless we find an easier way, our arrangement will largely stay as it is. Unless you want me to kill you— which might be okay for me too.”

  
They shared a little chuckle at that. “Seriously though,” Regina continued, careful to keep her face very neutral so as not to show how curious she was. “What’s gotten into you?”

Emma shrugged. “I’ve been having some weird dreams, and sometimes I feel like I’m…being guided. I guess I’m just jazzed up.”

Regina nodded cryptically, not letting on if she understood, had anything to do with it, or if she thought Emma was simply nuts. “Care for a drink?” she asked, moving past her toward the study.

 

“Yes please. What are you having?” Emma followed Regina, her eyes sliding in a cursory glance over the smooth gray wrap dress Regina was wearing, which ended just below her knees, where her legs were bare until they sloped delicately into a pair of sleek, black ballet flats.

As the entered the study, Regina let her in first, and then, Emma noticed, closed the doors behind them. “We can have anything you want,” Regina announced, in a low voice. She gestured to offer Emma a seat on the white couch near the bar, the  one with ivy-like filligree applique coursing all over its surfaces like tattoos on skin.

 

"Regina...does this...sort of thing work better with more skin?"  _That could not have possibly sounded more idiotic_ , Emma thought to herself, drawing her lips into her mouth in self- criticism. To her somewhat perverse delight, however, Regina stopped in the middle of juggling some crystal decanters, and stilled her hands.

 

She was grateful to be faced away from Emma at that very moment, Regina had to admit. It was such a silly thing to blush like this in front of someone so insignificant, over something so small and innocent, but factoring in some other things that had come out of Emma's mouth recently, she couldn't quite figure it out, but something was up. Suddenly she had a flash of... well, herself, feeding Emma a tidbit of something. Heat rushed through her and her fingers clamored as she poured a shot's worth of tequila into a highball and downed it in one go. With a different kind of fire searing its way through her system, she spun around to face Emma, who was standing, facing her, looking expectant and, quite awkward. Regina pulled up a hasty mask of calm and smiled broadly. "Perhaps it would," she responded finally, "in fact, it certainly would, but I don't know if it would also overload you with stimulation."

 

  
_Oh I'm kind of overloading with stimulation as it is_ , Emma thought but quickly bit it back before it could come out of her mouth. "I...um, have heard that sometimes, with control, it disperses the siphon more evenly. Is that true?"

 

This did frighten Regina a bit but she was more impressed, and she said so. "Someone's been studying I see. Yes, it is possible, but I've never done it that way so I would be unable to guide us." She offered Emma some brandy and took some for herself, straight.

 

Emma took a sip, let it sink in, and then placed the expensive snifter upon the table and met Regina as she came around to sit. "Let's try it, Regina. I just have this feeling about it." She waited for Regina to decline, but instead she merely closed the drapes that had hung slightly askew.

 

"I can't promise you I will be able to save you if this goes badly, Miss Swan."

 

Emma shrugged. "Can you promise to try?"

 

Regina considered this then shook her head, sending Emma's heart into her feet with an almost audible splat noise. "No. My first priority will be keeping myself alive. After that, then it is possible. This isn't  a good idea. As I said, I've never done it like this before, and if you do end up perishing in the attempt, so goes my plan."

 

"But if it works, it will speed up your plan and possibly restore your own magic entirely, right?"

 

Regina huffed. "Possibly, but the other alternative is still far more likely. Still, if you're eager to make me a single parent again, I won't argue." She was bluffing again, Emma realized.

  
"So get on with it then," Emma responded gently. To this, Regina paled for a split second and then turned away, sat upon the couch, and fumbled for a moment with the side of her dress.

 

Releasing a hidden tie, the dress loosened, and Regina held her breath as she slipped it from her shoulders, and then held it fast around her waist in back, but covering herself in front. She felt Emma's fingers, so hot in contrast to the coolness of the room, tip the right strap of her bra down lower, and then the other one as well.

 

Both of Emma's palms planted gently on her shoulder blades, and there was a brief shocking sensation. Emma grunted in discomfort, and Regina tried in vain to process it before a familiar, more pleasant rush of power coursed through her. With Emma's hands on her back, her magic awoke even faster and radiated more evenly. In fact, she couldn't even feel the two points distinctly. It almost felt like Emma was pressing directly against her heart.

 

The shocking sensation didn't go away. Emma figured it never would, but it was getting easier to bear. Tonight, the feeling of charging Regina was warm and pleasant, much like the wargskin rug in her dreamworld fortress. _This is much easier_ , Emma thought. Right as she did, Regina let out a low moan.

 

She had tried to bite her lips and hold it back, but it escaped anyway. She narrowly missed another as a wave of pleasure ripped through her core. There was the familiar red haze over her eyes so she shut them, even though she wanted to turn and look at Emma. She let go of her hold on her dress, letting it fall in a slinky gray pile around her hips. Instead, she grasped the arm of the couch, and dug her nails in as she bit her lip again.

 

Emma watched, intrigued, and also quite disturbed at the livid red glow emanating from Regina's skin like heatwaves. She could literally feel the other woman becoming stronger through their bond. The aura was reminiscent of the dragon from the library basement. It was humbling. All the same, it was drawing her in like a moth to a flame. Made brazen by apparent success and fortified by curiosity and drink, Emma released one hand, keeping one directly behind Regina's heart, and used the other hand to catch her under the chin as she moved closer.

 

Regina didn't resist at all as Emma pulled her near, finally settling the space behind her heart to the wide neck opening in Emma's tank top. Emma's left hand came around and rested now on her front, so that her heart was effectively sandwiched. Her breathing became erratic as her powers flowed through her in a current. Emma's other hand was under her chin, and she felt her fingers tip her face up and over to look over her shoulder to where she could feel Emma breathing slowly by her cheek. She hesitated, suddenly afraid to show her, but she felt the quickening of the princess's heart, and decided not to deny her a look.

 

It was funny, but it was the first time that Regina had thought of Emma as the princess. The crown princess, in fact. It was by her blood, that Henry would always be a true prince. As she realized that, it became a funny little source of pride, and so, she began to lose her fear of showing Emma everything. Her eyes came open and met Emma's, and waited for her to be horrified.

 

The scarlet haze cleared mostly within a heartbeat, but Emma still found herself looking down into Regina's eyes with great trepidation.They seemed endlessly dark, these shadowed brown eyes, but in this moment they held no secrets, no deception, no false bravado, or anything. They were honest and completely open. Ringed with ruby embers, they burned, and took Emma's breath away. 

 

Her thoughts all fled aside from one. _I have to kiss her_. She was too far gone to even be startled or creeped out by this notion. She leaned back, pulling Regina with her, and without anymore delays, let herself be drawn into that crimson mouth.

 

  
_My princess_ , was Regina's last thought. Emma's eyes had been totally devoid of disgust or horror. Instead, there had been awe and excitement and some other things she couldn't identify. And then she had brought her lips to Regina's, and there was nothing real anymore except that. 

 

She had always dominated, always been first, and the most powerful. Everything carefully on her terms, or not at all. Yet, Emma pressed a little harder now and Regina yielded without a struggle. She was putty in her arms as she felt Emma breathe against her and deepen the kiss.

 

She tasted like sweet, sweet apples laced with the smooth, biting edge of alcohol. Emma felt herself heat up and could hear her own heart and Regina's pounding in her ears.  _I have to taste her_. She touched Regina's lips and found them opening beneath her. She dominated the former mayor's mouth, tasting, licking, and teasing, and all the brunette would do was suck, take, and sigh.

 

  
_More, more, more_ , Regina thought, when suddenly Emma's hand drifted off of her heart so that she could be turned into a more comfortable position for kissing. The magical circuit was broken, and Regina was momentarily stunned by it. She was instantly disturbed that her desire to be kissed and touched more had not abated. She pulled away slightly and saw a flicker of confusion in the bare lust on Emma's face. "We can't," she whispered desperately, but Emma wouldn't listen.

 

She was strong and Regina was very light. She pulled her to sit across her lap, slid her fingers over Regina's shoulder blades, and drew her down for another kiss. Regina was shocked by the tremors of sensation that rippled through her even with no magical current. Emma kissed her again and again, and with every touch, she grew dizzy and thoughtless. She pushed her own tongue into Emma's mouth, greedy for the taste of her and felt a nerve deep inside of her pull as taut as a hot bowstring when Emma sucked her tongue in. She slid her hands down Regina's smooth, curved back, and down her slender waist till it met the remains of her dress. When finally her fingertips barely skimmed the lace of the waistband of her panties, Regina finally woke up.

 

"We can't," she repeated herself more firmly, and pushed away from Emma, covering her low cut lace demi bra with her hands. Ever the gentleman, Emma shrugged out of her jacket and covered her with it. 

 

"Are you all right? I'm sorry." Worry lines appeared on her forehead as she continued to caress Regina's forearms and hands in comfort.

 

Regina pulled her dress back up under the cover of the jacket, the blood rising in her face. She wasn't used to feeling so vulnerable and she hated that, but what she hated more was how much she still wanted Emma to continue undressing her. "It worked, Emma," she huffed, embarrassed to be so out of breath, "It felt amazing." She rose from the couch and tried to compose herself. Emma seemed to know instinctively that she wouldn't pull away, and slung her arms around Regina's waist. 

 

"Is it because...because we're...um... we're both--"

 

" _Enemies_ ," Regina cut her off abruptly, but gently, turning in her arms. She lifted a hand to Emma's lips to quiet her, not quite touching. "If anything, it's because I still bear your family some residual hatred, which has nothing to do with...that." There was a smile and no venom however, despite the reddish glint in her eyes still. "Tomorrow, we will...try it the, er, traditional way, and I will show you my progress." Emma started forward and grabbed her wrist as she turned.

 

The honesty that Regina always saw in those blue eyes made her stagger. Right now, Emma's face was so serious and intense that if she dared to stay longer, she would never be able to argue. "I want you," Emma ground out through clenched teeth, "I don't know how long I've felt this way, but I want you."

 

Emma watched Regina waffle back and forth between lies and truth yet again and choose the truth, sort of. Looking in her eyes, Regina's voice was barely above a whisper. "I can't promise you anything but I won't deny I enjoyed it. Good night, Miss Swan. Sleep well." At this, she retired, leaving Emma to let herself out. 

  
As she walked out to her bug, the cold wind bit her skin and she realized that Regina was still wearing her jacket.

 

 

**

Emma again woke up on the wargskin rug, which told her that she had probably fallen asleep before showering. She sat up and saw the queen sitting in her chair, reading the hard little book with the heart gem and gold embossing on the cover.

 

"Regina?" 

 

Maybe it was the way she said her name, with longing and desire, but the queen looked up, closed the book, and descended upon her and swept her up in her arms and black fabric. "Did you do it?" she whispered against Emma's throat, feeling the steady acceleration of her pulse. She didn't wait for Emma's response because she knew.

 

"A deal is a deal, my heart... I will teach you what I know. Make me powerful." Her words died off as Emma threaded her fingers in her long hair and pulled her back. Their lips met hard and this Regina wasn't nearly as yielding as the other. She exerted pressure and forced Emma down and climbed upon her, swathing her in her fur-lined cloak, and pressing her body against her. She placed a gloved hand over Emma's mouth. "Shh... Now tell me...what article of clothing did you have me remove in your world?" She removed her hand, gave Emma a biting nip, and then continued to bite/kiss her way down Emma's throat, leaving light bruises where she connected extra-hard.

 

"Half of your dress, Your Majesty," Emma snickered before gasping as the dark monarch's 

 

"I'm impressed." She moved up slightly to look down at Emma. "Now for the fun part," she murmured as she took Emma's hand in hers.

 

Emma abruptly screamed.

 

The Queen laughed heartily and looked down between them at the palm of Emma's hand. Upon the surface of her left hand was a swirling mark with a foreign character placed within. The red, puckered, seared flesh made it seem to have been a brand, but the Queen's hands were empty. "What the fuck is this?" Emma shrilled, blowing on it even as the stinging brought tears to her eyes.

"This is a sigil. A special kind. It has to be used with consent on both sides and can only be used in the pair for which it was originally cast," the Queen grinned viciously as she bit down on Emma's hand, causing a shock of pleasure to strike her core despite the pain of the branding. "In this case, you... and me."

"Oh my God I don't remember consenting to this!" Emma yelped, but dark Regina had a red look in her eyes and was pulling her gloves off.

Her cool, bare hands slid up the hem of Emma's top, sharp black nails carving trails of sensation in their wake. An amused chuff of laughter was hidden by the barest bit of exposed breast as Regina kissed her way across. "You will make the other me the most powerful sorceress in the realm. I'm counting on you, my love."

_My love_.

Tears that had nothing to do with pleasure or physical pain welled up and fell. Regina jerked her head up and concern washed over her face. She pulled Emma up into her arms and cradled her. "What is wrong?"

It took Emma a long moment to gather her thoughts and respond. When she did, she looked at this dark, dream Regina with sincerity and worry. "I don't...love you."

Maybe it was anger that passed over Regina then, but it was quickly replaced by a high, condescending laugh. "Oh, you little fool, of course you do. Hearts don't lie."

Emma shook her head vigorously. "No, Regina... I mean...I have these feelings. I desire you, and when I look at you, I see...what's here," she pushed on her own chest where she felt her heart beating, "but it's the you in the other world I need to say these things to. Anything less would be unfair to everyone."

There was the familiar thoughtfulness in those red-wreathed eyes, and all of the intensity, but, Emma noticed, the gaze was almost inhuman in its ferocity. This was not her Regina, the woman softened by loneliness and the love of a son. This was not a woman who had begun to learn from her mistakes. It was not her Regina.

"I like the way you think, Emma," the Queen replied finally, "but remember that you belong to Regina-- in this world or the next. One way or another, you are mine alone. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Emma whispered, and was rewarded by a smile that approached the one Regina had begun to give her back in Storybrooke.

"Then, Swan Princess...return to your love." Emma felt the world drop out from under her then. She tried to reach out and keep her eyes locked with the Queen's for as long as she could, but she could no longer feel her body. Then, her vision finally blurred and darkened.

**

Regina snapped awake and sat straight up in bed, heart rushing. _I dreamed just now_ , she realized. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember it. She looked around her room as if for some clue. Her bed was rumpled and the covers tossed about, hinting at a restless night, but the shadow of the tree outside was steady and calm, despite the sound of rain against her window. The bluish glow of the moon show over her, alone and without any memory of something that might have been important.

She was massaging her temples to clear the fog when her phone rang, piercing the quiet night and startling her. Without even looking at the caller ID, she answered it.

It was Emma. "I'm outside. Let me in."

Without even bothering to chastise her for the rudeness or the highly inappropriate hour, Regina was down the stairs and throwing open the door.

It seemed that Emma had barely put her phone back in her pocket when suddenly the heavy door swung open and then Regina--her Regina-- was in her arms, holding her so tightly, she could barely breathe. Then, she released her hold and pulled Emma inside, "Oh you're soaking wet, come in," she cried, closing the door behind them.

Now, she pushed Emma against the solid wood, and again filled her arms, suddenly overtaken by trembling that had little to do with the cold. To her total relief, Emma simply held her tightly, now several inches taller than barefoot Regina. She felt little for the first time in what seemed like forever, and she liked it.

Presently, Emma's mouth brushed the top of her head and she whispered. "Regina, I..."


	6. Addiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are laid bare before one another's eyes...in every way. Regina tries to make sense of her feelings. Emma goes all in for the one her heart truly desires.

She thought Regina would take her to the study, or even the office, but instead, when Regina finally released her and stepped back, wiping away a fall of tears, she met Emma's eyes, took her hand, and led her toward the stairs. When her lovely bare feet were on the second and third step, Emma reached out and grasped the scrolling banister and pulled her back to where she stood on the ground. Instead of simply stopping, Regina let herself be pulled and stepped back into her arms.  
  
"What are we doing, Regina?" Emma wondered aloud.  
  
"I'm taking you to my bedroom," Regina whispered so her voice wouldn't carry through the house. "Because I'm not wearing any clothes."  
  
Emma looked down and felt incredibly stupid for not noticing before that all Regina was wearing was a slinky   wine colored camisole and a pair of very lacy boyshort panties. "Wow those are not mom panties."  
  
Even in darkness, Regina's blush was plain to see. "Come to bed with me, to sleep," she amended quickly. "I don't want to be alone."  
  
They both tiptoed, worried that Henry, sleeping in the other room, might hear and catch them. Like teenagers, they rushed into her bedroom and closed the door. Regina locked it, and Emma raised an eyebrow. "I assume you'll take off... _some_  of that?" she explained, gesturing broadly to the whole ensemble of boots, faded sweat pants, faded white tee, and drenched blue peacoat Emma had on.  
  
There was definitely a moment following Emma's awed, dumb nodding, as Regina helped her out of her coat, that bond like magnetism arced between them. Losing control was starting to become a pattern, Regina noted. Her fingers, as if they had a will of their own, dropped the coat over the hook on the back of her door, and went straight for Emma's pants, undoing the drawstring and sliding inside the waistband almost before Emma had her shoes off.  
  
Regina watched Emma's eyes go dark with need and hunger. It thrilled her almost to the point of frightening her when the taller blonde advanced on her, bent low to bring her center of gravity beneath hers, and then uncoiled like a pouncing cat, simultaneously grabbing her by the hips, and launching her onto the bed before following. Their bodies pressed together deliciously and Emma was all over her.  
  
Lips devoured hers, so unlike the kisses downstairs before. This one was hungry and rough, and plundered her mouth, demanding entrance, and tasting every bit of her. As their lips came apart for a second, Emma groaned and Regina sighed, a plea for more. She dug her heels into the coverlet and pulled Emma so that she was nestled right between her legs.  
  
"Regina!" Emma cried, sliding against her wet panties. The only response she got was a moan, so she dove back in, lifting her to rest against the headboard, legs wrapped around Emma's waist. She thrusted up hard and Regina clamped her fingers down on her own knuckles to keep from screaming. Both hands slid up under the weightless cami and captured her breasts, squeezing before sliding beneath them to help push them against her face.  
  
Shamelessly, Regina lifted the hem of the cami and arched her back to bring her nipples to Emma's hungry mouth. The blonde bent her head to take one dark peak between her lips and gripped Regina's hand, their fingers interlocking, knuckles turning white as they rode their attraction to its logical conclusion.  
  
But just then, Regina noticed something more than rising body temperatures. Emma's hand was burning. Literally burning. "What happened to you?" she exclaimed, pushing Emma back just slightly to look at her hand. What she saw was something that made her blood run cold. "Where did you get this?" she hissed.  
  
Emma, out of breath and visibly frustrated, blew a strand of hair out of her face and shrugged. "Regina, that's what I came to talk to you about."  
  
Regina yanked the cami back down over her breasts, but didn't pull away as Emma imagined she might. Instead, she squeezed Emma's hand and looked horrified. "This is a sigil, Emma! What were you thinking? Where did you get it from? Gold? I'm going to kill that little imp. Didn't he tell you... Wait..." She turned back to look at it. "It was working. You were filling me with magic when you gripped my hand. I didn't give you consent though. How--"  
  
Emma tried in vain several times to quiet Regina. When finally the brunette was silent, Emma stroked her face once and explained. "Regina, you gave it to me in a dream."  
  
Now it was Regina's turn to blink once. Then twice. Then a third time. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
Emma flailed her free hand in frustration. "I don't know. Ever since our first time," she gestured between the two of them, "I've been seeing you in another...world. It started off as a nightmare, and then when you, um, fixed it or whatever, I started seeing...the other you."  
  
It took a second to catch up. "Other me? You mean...the Queen?" she could barely choke it out. Emma was nodding.  
  
"She's not really like you, you know. She's...impossible to deny. She's so starved for love and unyielding--"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Emma shook her head quickly and clutched Regina's face in both hands now, searching her face for signs that she was doing the right thing, visually caressing the thick dark lashes, the smooth cheeks, the soft lips, that damned kissable scar over her lip. "I love the you that you are now." Regina didn't respond beyond staring at Emma, uncomprehending. "Regina, I love you. The mother of our son. I am in love with you."  
  
Her eyes shone in the moonlight and held no deception, only tears now. "You love me...and that's...why you have this? This terrible thing?"  
  
"Well it wasn't really my choice but she said that it would make you powerful."  
  
"This sigil works like a shunt in a hospital. All I do is connect, well, myself, to you, and you'll feed me directly whenever I want. What that dark part of me wanted, I'm afraid to say, is for you to feed me." Emma didn't look phased. "She wanted you to be a  _slave_. I am  _not_  that person anymore."  
  
"I don't care. I love the way it feels when we..."  
  
"It hurts you!" Regina shrilled, incredulous.  
  
"Not so much anymore! And beyond that...being connected to you... it feels  _right_." Emma slid her fingers through her soft dark hair and then gripped firmly but gently. "What are you afraid of? That you're addicted to magic?"  
  
A hollow little spot in Regina's heart echoed as it was struck. "Addicted?" The very word tasted foul.  
  
"Yes. When there was no magic things were fine. You couldn't miss something that wasn't available. But now here it is...all around you, and you fight constantly to control your desire to use it indiscriminately. I see that in you. I understand...but you're ready to use it for good. And I am ready to help you." Emma released her left hand and held it up for Regina to see.  
  
"That is dark magic," Regina murmured, "I told you I can't guarantee your safety if we go too fast. My magic has been very temperamental on its own."  
  
"Well, Your Majesty, you're the expert between us. I can trust you." Emma's smile was unguarded and infectious. "Let's try, at least." When Regina bit her lip in a way that made Emma's toes curl in delight, she leaned in and whispered, her mouth grazing the shell of her ear, "Show me how good it can feel."  
  
In days that followed, Regina would identify this as the moment she broke. Her hand shot up and snatched Emma by the throat, slamming her down onto the bed. Her mouth crushed the prodigal princess's lips, again feeding and plundering, her tongue forcing its way in to claim her. To own her. Emma's hands slid up her waist, and she grabbed them, pinning them down beside her head with a grunt.  
  
One knee came between Emma's and pushed them far apart until Regina settled into the cradle of her hips, eliciting a moan of pure pleasure from each of them. Her teeth grazed Emma's jaw and then blazed a trail of burning kisses down over where her carotid artery could be felt pulsing, and then to suck light bruises onto her collarbone and the swell of her breasts.  
  
She uttered a word in another language and Emma's top shredded before their eyes, baring her completely from the waist up to Regina's starving eyes. She was mortified at having forgotten to wear a bra, but that thought was swiftly lost as the other woman's lips dropped down to take a nipple into her mouth. Emma was undone. As her fingers interlaced again with Regina's, the white hot lightning bolt that shocked through them bore little resemblance to how it had ever been before. Regina continued to suck, now on the left side, biting, licking, and kissing intermittently, and she was feeding, and Emma did not ever want her to stop.  
  
She did, momentarily, to murmur in her ear as she rubbed her breasts against Emma's through her soft cami. The friction was so exquisite that Emma missed anything Regina said to her and merely responded, "Yes, yes, anything you want." With that, Regina sat back, released Emma's unmarked hand and made a gesture between them, heart to heart. Then, she let go of Emma's left hand. The bond still remained in place.  
  
Emma didn't question it now. All she knew was that suddenly she was an active participant again, and wasted no time divesting Regina of her cami, and grasping her around the back to pull her breasts to her face. She pushed her cheeks into the globes of flesh and then, kissing all the way to it, began to suck in earnest. She felt Regina convulse in ecstasy as she used one hand to squeeze her buttocks, grinding their pelvises together. "I want you inside me," moaned Regina, who was now using all her strength to try to pull the offending sweatpants off of Emma.  
  
"I can't wait," Emma growled, bringing their lips together again and flipping Regina onto her back. She felt Regina's heart skip a beat and then all she felt was her excitement and desperation. She didn't even bother with her own pants, despite the wet pulsing in her core. Let Regina handle that, she figured. She had a queen to please.  
  
Her lips kissed from between Regina's breasts, down her soft tummy, to under her navel, and finally found where the lace began. Above her, Regina had taken to softly chanting "please please please" and other nonsense as Emma's thumb made gentle circular caresses over her clitoris through the thin fabric.  
  
Finally, when she thought Regina was just about there, she peeled them down her long shapely legs and tossed them away. She didn't allow for a single moment to pass before she buried her face in Regina's pussy.  The clit was engorged and hard, and her opening was not only wet with slightly sweet, and tart fluids, but quivering for stimulation. She felt Regina hold her breath and then let it out in a strangled scream into the palm of one of her own hands as Emma drove her tongue inside.  
  
Regina saw stars flash before her eyes and knew only that she needed more. She was so close...Grabbing fistfuls of Emma's lovely golden hair, she ground herself shamelessly against Emma's mouth. Her lover was only too happy to indulge her. Finally, when Regina had rocked upon the razor's edge and wondered if she would never be allowed to come, Emma drove two fingers inside her dripping heat, and curled around that special place that only she had ever known. As she did, she drew Regina's clit into her mouth and gave a deep suck. When her gemlike eyes met Regina's, the proud, former queen bit down on the fleshy part of her own palm, and, bucking, and crying, she came.  
  
It was the most arousing and beautiful things Emma had ever seen in twenty-eight years, and she was eager to see it again. Before Regina could recover, she grabbed her by the ankle, turned her over onto her belly, and braced her hands against the headboard. "Oh God no!" Regina cried, as she was drawn  up to her knees, but it wasn't sincere. As soon as Emma's pelvis had fit against her buttocks and she felt her fingers slide down into her sex, she was ready.  
  
"Yes, you sexy fucking thing," Emma grunted into her ear from behind before biting down hard on the nape of her neck, "take it, take it!" It was so dirty that Regina had no defense against that kind of talk. It went straight to her sex and she loved it.  
  
"Yes," she cried as Emma's fingers drove her into the pillows with reckless abandon. "Yes!" she repeated as those sweet fingers found that spot again. She began to babble like an idiot into the thick padding of the headboard, but she didn't care. Emma had her completely open and vulnerable and was taking her to task. Power flowed in and out, filling the grooves in every muscle, and even in her teeth with pleasure. Suddenly, it was as if a nerve was just twisted around the tip of one of Emma's fingers, and she muffled her screams of joy as cum poured down into Emma's waiting hand. It kept coming and coming, these waves of uncontrolled passion, until she thought her body would tear apart with these stars behind her eyes. She braced herself, and felt Emma all around her, whispering to her, kissing her... loving her. It was in this intense climax that she let herself go, and swooned.  
  
When she awoke, it was still dark, but the rain had stopped, if the silence outside was any indication. She was curled up in Emma's arms with her face against her chest, protected like a baby. She was still completely naked and so was her lover, save for a simple pair of white cotton bikini-cut briefs. For a terrible instant she wondered if the connection she had created was still active, or if she had been passed out too long and Emma had been drained to death. But no, it had been shut off, and Emma was breathing deeply beside her.  
  
It was a strange thing, Regina realized, to be in love. She laid her eyes over her sweetheart and remembered what it was like to make love. Even fucking was lovemaking. It was incredible. It had bordered on violent, and yet, she had never felt anything so wonderful. It was so wonderful to even remember that she reached down between her legs and sure enough, she was still hot and wet down there, and all over her thighs.  
  
"I never said it back to you," Regina whispered partially to Emma, but mostly to herself. She pushed Emma gently more onto her back so she could prop herself up on an elbow and gaze blissfully at the face of her young, sweet princess. "I love you Emma. Oh by all the stars in the heavens, I do love you." She kissed her on the cheek, then the other, and then the mouth, chastely, and Emma didn't stir. "I'm going to have you now my sweet. I hope you're ready, my princess." And at this, she bent for a kiss and her hands drifted lower and lower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Largely, this is where we end. I have drafts of the next few chapters but they require much work. If there are things you want me to address or would like to see, please feel free to let me know and I will see what I can do. It will take some time before I update again, but I promise, it will happen eventually.


End file.
